


Rivals

by MarvelMerlin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Annabeth Chase & Thalia Grace Friendship, English Nerd Percy, F/F, M/M, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, math geek Jason, this is the first time I've written Jercy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:01:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelMerlin/pseuds/MarvelMerlin
Summary: There's been a rivalry between the Math and English department students at NYU for as long as anyone can remember... But no one really remembers why, so they just resort to thinking the other department is stupid. Jason is a Math major who needs his English credit to pass, Percy's tutoring to save up some money.





	Rivals

He’d needed the money, and aside from the pay he also had free reign over a photocopier/printer that the English department used only for teachers and tutors. No more printing off essays in the old library printer for a buck a page. 

But here he was, watching the blonde kid sitting opposite him wearing an NYU Dep. Math sweater in an ugly purple.  
Percy never got the whole “They are the ENEMY” spiel, but he explained it to his little cousin when she joined. Piper didn’t get it either.  
No one really knew how the whole rivalry began, but everyone continued it. The math and English departments at NYU had a rivalry seemingly as old as the school itself. Percy and his sister had both been accepted to the Literary Arts department and were immediately informed by the upperclassmen that they would be trusted with carrying on with the feud.  
Which made it all the more awkward when Percy served as a tutor for the English courses and found himself scheduled with a math student. 

The boy coughed, and Percy realized he was glaring.  
“You’re in a first-year course. You don’t look like a first year.” Percy said curtly  
“English requirement.” he said, “Wouldn’t be taking it otherwise.”  
“Right,” Percy said, before an awkward pause. “So your first essay, where’s your draft?”  
The boy ruffled through his bag, pulling out a plain boring notebook with 'Jason Grace' written on the cover and sliding it across the small table. Percy picked it up, turning through page after page before finding a page with Essay as the heading, followed by a few short points.  
Percy gave his advice on how to flesh out the points and handed back the notebook.  
"We've got 15 minutes if you wanna work on it now and ask some questions as you go." Percy offered.  
"Sure."  
"Cool."  
"Great."  
"Awesome."  
Another awkward pause before Jason began writing more. Percy pulled out his textbook and started his readings, looking up every now and then to check on his pupil before his phone timer went off, and Jason left, followed by Percy.

~

A few days had passed when Percy stood in line at Starbucks, waiting for his drink when someone ran into him.  
"Hey sorry- Oh, hey," Jason said, looking at Percy  
"Hi." he said looking at the scary girl standing next to him, "You going to the room?"  
"Yeah."  
"Cool. See you."  
"Yeah."

Percy grabbed his drink and made his way to the tutoring room, unlocking the door and letting Jason in.  
"Your friend is kinda terrifying." Percy said, "I didn't know math geeks could be scary."  
Jason smiled a little, "Reyna's... Something."

They sat down, and Jason pulled out his laptop, swiveling it to face Percy "So I kinda changed topics, last time you mentioned an idea for a point that got me thinking so I just wrote on that," he spoke sheepishly  
"No, hey that's good, writing what you're comfortable writing is what makes a good essay,"  
"Maybe read it first?" Jason said, and Percy complied, noting some small grammar errors and short ideas. When he finished, they worked through it together.

~ 

Over the next few months, Percy found himself meeting with Jason more regularly than most of his other pupils, and the two began to enjoy the sessions.  
Every once and a while one would bring food from the main hall, and they would sit and work while sharing the food between them. It became normal.

Finally, December rolled around, and with it the usual parties. Percy's uncle made him promise to look out for Piper, so here he was, in the middle of a very loud, very dark, and very drunk party, watching over his little cousin as she danced her heart out.

"What's an English nerd doing here?" He heard beside him and turned to see Jason.  
"Watching my cousin. What's a math geek doing here?" Percy replied  
"Making sure my friends survive," he said, gesturing to Reyna and a few other math department kids.  
"I feel like the point of this party is being lost on me," Percy said, watching the crowd ebb and flow  
"Someone failed, someone passed, and they neither care nor think." Jason said, "You'll be happy to know I passed."  
"With my excellent guidance? Of course, you did," Percy grinned, watching as Piper came over to him, drunk off her ass  
"Perce, whattre you doin? I thought his kind was bad?" she slurred  
"I think its time to get you home, so your father doesn't murder me when he flies in tomorrow." He said, picking up his cousin and throwing her over his shoulder, turning to Jason he said, "Mind getting the door?"

Jason smiled and opened the door, looking through the thinning crowd, he sighed "Don't suppose you could give me a ride? My friends ditched and my sister has disappeared."  
Percy shrugged "Sure, I'm planning on getting some food after I drop this one off if you wanna join?"  
Jason smiled, and the two buckled Piper into the car, before driving to her dorm and knocking on the door of her room, leaving her in the capable hands of her sober roommate.

The boys headed to a small burger place, where Jason insisted he pay for their cheesy fries as a "Thanks for helping me not fail," present.  
They sat by the window and looked out at the falling snain.

"So are you and your sister heading home for Christmas?" Percy asked, forking the cheesy goodness into his mouth  
"Eh, sorta. I'm staying at her place, which isn't dorms so kinda home?" he replied, "Your uncle's flying in?"  
"Yeah... His wife's my father's sister, so even though we never see them, we spend Christmas together every year. Our parents left around the same time so- And you didn't ask for my life story." He cut himself off  
Jason shrugged "Its fine, seriously."  
"I feel like you should tell me something deeply personal to make up for my abandonment issues" Percy joked, and Jason smiled  
"My dad left my mom too, she tried to abandon me in a park for revenge when I was 2 years old, and my sister and I wound up in foster care when Mom OD'ed when I was 5."  
"Shit man, sorry," Percy said, Jason shrugged, and they both fell silent, eating finishing their food.

~

Christmas morning came and went, and Percy couldn't stop thinking about the math geek, and how his course was over, which meant he wasn't likely to see him again.

"Okay, you're moping, and your mom's made six batches of blue cookies to try and make you stop. What is it?" Piper asked, standing in front of Percy, who was sitting by the window, with her arms crossed.  
"Nothing. Just thinking."  
"'Bout blondie?" Piper smirked, meeting Percy's annoyed glare with waggling eyebrows.  
"Jason. And yes, I am. He's spending Christmas with his sister, and his friends have all gone home for the holidays, and I don't know if they've got any cookies or anything and I dunno..." he trailed off, and Piper smiled knowingly, she pulled out her phone  
"What was his name?"  
"Jason Grace, why?" Percy asked, confused when Piper held out her finger, shushing him as she spoke on the phone  
"Hey babe, yeah can you look someone up for me? Mhm. Jason Grace? You're kidding. Ha, send me the address? Love you."  
"Are you getting your girlfriend to stalk people?"  
"Not stalk. Her best friend is Jason's older sister. Ergo, not stalking."  
"And if she wasn't?"  
"Then I suppose it would be." Piper looked down at her phone and called out "Sally pack up the cookies! We're going on a trip!"

~

Percy stood outside an apartment building, with Piper, his Uncle, his mom, and his step-father all laden with cookies. He sighed, rolled his eyes and buzzed apartment 8.

"'Ello?" a voice crackled through  
"Thalia? It's Piper. My aunt kinda baked too many cookies, so we were wondering if you wanted some?" Piper responded  
"Free cookies? Hell yeah." She said, buzzing them up.

When Percy knocked on the door, Jason answered the two of them standing there awkwardly until Piper pushed through, calling for Thalia proclaiming the good news of the still-warm cookies, Sally, Paul and Tristan followed suit.

"Are you stalking me?" Jason asked jokingly  
"Annabeth is Piper's girlfriend. And my mom-"  
"Made way too many cookies. I heard." Jason shrugged "I'm not one to say no to free food. Especially home-made Christmas cookies."  
"Uh fair warning, they are all varying shades of blue. It's my mom's thing."  
"I think you owe me the story behind that."

Percy smiled, looking around the small apartment, it wasn't far from campus, and it seemed homey and warm, despite the lack of decorations. Sally walked up to the two, offering Jason some cookies off a plate. 

"I just asked Thalia if you two would like to join us for dinner tonight, she seemed to think that it was an excellent idea."  
"Thalia or Piper?" Percy asked, looking over at the girls who were already lounging on the couch, watching the two of them.  
Jason smiled politely as he took a cookie "Thank you, Ma'am, I'd love to," and with that, Sally seemed satisfied and walked back to the girls.  
Jason kept looking back to Piper's father "That guy seems really familiar."  
"He's an actor." Percy supplied, and Jason nodded, satisfied, before muttering under his breath  
"Are we being watched?"  
"Yeah. It's kinda creepy." 

Jason rolled his eyes, walking towards a room, opening the door and motioning Percy inside the smallish bedroom, it was mostly light blue and white, a suitcase was sitting in the corner.  
"My sister insisted I have a room in her apartment," he explained.  
The two boys sat on the bed in comfortable silence before the rowdiness of the Christmas dinner that landed both of them in food comas on the couches of the Jackson-Blofis residence.

~

New Years came and went, and soon enough school had started up again. New term, new tutorees for Percy. And no Jason. 

Percy sighed, going through the motions of helping students, every once and a while catching a glimpse of Jason. It seemed like Jason was avoiding him, Percy saw Thalia on a regular basis, wherever Piper was, Annabeth was, and more often than not, Thalia was where Annabeth was. But no Jason to be seen.  
The scary girl, Reyna, and the other two students he was around most often stopped appearing where he was, instead always with a crazy looking, scrawny blonde kid, who seemed to never leave him alone.

Eventually, Percy gave up watching for Jason, figuring he'd decided that the rivalry was what mattered.

Months passed, and the finals were nearing when a knock sounded on the tutoring room door when Percy was between pupils. He put aside his book and got up and opened the door  
"Yes-" he was cut off by Jason pushing him into the room and kissing him hard, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist as the door closed. Percy felt his brain stop working, and for a second panicked that he had forgotten how to breathe. By the time he had remembered Jason had pulled back, looking at him. With him this close Percy could see a faint scar on his lip.  
"I'm an idiot," Jason whispered  
"Well I know that, but why in this particular case are you an idiot?"  
"Because I listened to Octavian of all people," Jason said, releasing Percy and sitting on the table  
"And Octavian is...?"  
"Insane blonde masters student who claimed I'd be kicked out of the program for associating with anyone in the English department." Percy frowned and looked at Jason  
"I'm pretty sure masters students can't kick people out of programs they've paid for," Percy replied  
Jason shrugged "It made sense at the time. And he said he had evidence that I was academically dishonest." At that Percy burst out laughing  
"You? Dishonest. I'm fairly certain that's an oxymoron."  
Jason smiled, looking up at Percy "He's a manipulative little shit who's had everything in life handed to him on a silver platter. I'm pretty sure he mutilates toys for fun." Jason sighed "I should've told you what was going on instead on disappearing. I'm sorry."  
Percy shook his head, stepping closer to Jason and taking his hand "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for." Jason smiled softly, looking up at him, Percy continued "And I'd very much like to kiss you again if that's alright with you."  
Jason smiled and nodded, and Percy leaned down, kissing him gently, and savoring every second.

~

That summer, Percy and Jason went to LA to spend the break away from the city and the toxic rivalry that no one could remember anything about.  
Percy discovered that Jason was actually pretty good at surfing, and that Jason was unquantifiably, brain short-circutingly attractive when she was shirtless and soaking wet.  
Jason discovered that Percy tanned gorgeously and that he was especially cuddly when he was sleepy, especially post-sex.  
Neither really wanted to return to the cold New York brought in the fall and winter, but as summer drew to a close, and the start of term got closer and closer, they were yanked back into reality. 

On the last morning, Jason opened up his laptop and found a series of emails from the Faculty of Mathematics. He'd reported Octavian's behavior, and word had spread. There were 25 reports that he'd said the same to other students, and that was just the ones currently enrolled. The last email in the chain was that Octavian had been expelled for his behavior and that he had been barred from many universities within the country, as well as ones across the world where various faculty professors had friends.  
Percy sat behind him on the bed, reading over his shoulder, his arms slowly snaking around his boyfriend's waist. When he finished reading, he kissed Jason's cheek "That guy sounds like a real jackass." 

Jason hummed his agreement, closing his laptop and turning his head to place a peck on Percy's lips, "I love you." he said softly  
"I love you too." Percy smiled, kissing his nose "We should pack before we get yelled at."

As if on cue, Piper shouted from the foyer "Romeo and Juliet our flight leaves in 3 hours hurry your butts up!"  
Jason laughed, getting up and finding a new key attached to his backpack. He turned and looked at Percy, "And this is?"  
"A key to an apartment that can be mine." He stood up and slipped his arms around Jason's waist "Or ours. Tutoring helpless math majors in the fine points of essay writing pays well."  
Jason grinned, planting a kiss on Percy's cheek "Ours."

"I hate to break up this lovefest," Percy and Jason jumped, turning to see Annabeth in the doorway "but we really should get going."  
"Remind me to put a bell on you." Percy wagged his finger at her as he grabbed his suitcase and carry-on.  
Annabeth just shrugged and made her way downstairs, wrapping her arms around Piper as they stood waiting for them.

Percy looked at Jason and took his hand "Ready to go tear apart a rivalry?"  
"About damn time."


End file.
